May 24, 1998
By Kerri Regan, R-S staff reporter

ANDERSON CONSIDERS DRUG TESTS

Several north state schools already test student-athletes for drugs, including Corning, Hayfork, Fall River and Central Valley high schools.

ANDERSON - Trying to give student-athletes a good reason to stay away from drugs, the Anderson Union High School District will consider implementing random drug testing next year.

Trustees will decide during a 6:30 p.m. meeting Tuesday whether to test some of the district’s 800 athletes for drugs.

"We’re trying to provide a safe and healthy environment for our kids - to give them a concrete reason to say no," said Tom Mancuso, athletic director at Anderson High School. "Other kids can go, ‘Who’s going to catch you?’

And they can say, ‘Well, on Monday if they do a urine test, I’m caught.’"

(Ed. note: In reality this is also a perfect reason to use any drug other than marijuana. The policy thus encourages hard drug and alcohol use.)

Under the plan, athletes and their parents would be required to give written consent for the tests before participating in sports. Those who don’t will not be allowed to play.

Though the district won’t actually be able to test for tobacco and alcohol, those substances are also taboo, Mancuso said.

About 200 students would be randomly chosen for tests at each high school throughout the year, Mancuso said.

Positive test results would be confirmed with another test, and parents would be notified if the second test is positive.
(Ed. note: This further increases the incentive for hard drug use. The second test for marijuana would be positive even if use is discontinued but it will be negative for hard drugs if use is discontinued. Fail-safe for hard drugs.)

For the first offense, athletes can attend counseling and take six weekly drug tests at their expense, or be suspended from athletics for the rest of the season.

"(Offering counseling) is one way of helping them out," said Mancuso, who drafted the plan with West Valley High School athletic director Emmett Koerperick.

For the second offense, the student would be suspended from athletics for the current season and the next season.

Third-time offenders would be suspended from athletics for the rest of their high school careers.

Refusal to be tested would be treated the same as a positive test.
(Ed. note: Standing up for your rights is even more dangerous than "drug" use.)

Tests run about $20 each, so the program should cost about $8,000 for both schools. The district has written a grant proposal to Shasta County Public Health and also plans to ask service clubs and businesses for help in financing the program.

The athletic boosters clubs have already committed to donating money, and the district will pick up the rest, Mancuso said.

Corning High School adopted a random drug testing policy in May 1996, about a year after the practice was found constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court. Hayfork and Fall River started in January 1997, and Central Valley High School followed in August.

Foothill High School has also looked into the idea, but the Shasta Union High School District board has yet to consider it formally.

Less than 1 percent of Central Valley High’s tests turned up positive, said Gretchen Hanson, assistant superintendent of the Gateway Unified School District. More than 100 students were tested.

Parents and athletes have been receptive to the practice, she said.

"Many of the students were glad because it gave them an excuse not to (use drugs)," Hanson said. "They didn’t want to take the chance."

The Anderson district’s policy is modeled after the one in Veronia, Ore., that was ruled constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court. Athletic directors also used input from coaches and administrators from schools that already test students.

"Our whole purpose behind this is preventative," Mancuso said. "I hope we don’t catch a single kid. If we can help them to say no and prevent problems, we’ll be really happy. If we do catch kids and get them some help, that would be another positive for the program."